Process and apparatus for the manufacture of sheet-glass.



No. 800,402. PATPNTPD SEPT. 20, 1905.

. E. ROWART AT. L. PRANGQ. Pooss AND APPARATUS P0P THB MANUPAGTURP 0P SHEET GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12, 1904.. I

W/TNESJe s:

untreu sra-Tas rATnNT cnr-Ion.

Encens nownnfr, or AUvnLAis, AND Louis naanoo, vor osoune,

. BELGIUM. Y' j PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TRE MANUFACTURE 0F SHEET-GLASS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

f Patented sept. 26, 1905.

Application nea April-12, 1904. serial no. 202,354.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known 'that we, EUGNE RowAn'r, works managergresiding at Auvelais, and LoUIs FRANCQ, doctor of medicine, residing at Obourg, Belgium` have invented aProcess .and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Sheetso as to cause the glass to slowly cool by radiation, thus avoiding rapid surface cooling of the sheets.

The invention consists in causing the melted glass to How from a receptacle through a narrow opening into a chamberwhich has previously been exhausted of air, so that the sheet of glass thus formed is only cooled by radiation, being only in contact at certain points with bad conductors of heat.

For carrying out this process we employ apparatus which we will describe withl reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a kcross-section of the apparatus on line I-I, Fig.' 2, which shows a'front elevation of the apparatus.

rThe melted glass is contained in a vessel 1, heated to a suflcienttemperature to prevent the cooling of the glass, which is placed in a chamber 2 upon a support which by' means of an external crank-handle 3 can be turned so as to tilt the vessel. The chamber is then closed hermetically by means of a cover 4. The chamber contains a hopper 5, the internal surfaces of which are lined with refractory material whichl is a bad conductor of heat and which may be coated with a second material that is also a Aoad4 heat-conductor and that can be moistened. This hopper is situated above a pair of horizontal parallel rollers 6 of a bad conductor of heat, which may be moistened or not and the distance apart of which can be regulated at will, according to the thickness which it is desired to impart to the sheet of glass. Y

The chamber 2 is situated above a lower chambei` 8, which can turn upon pivots 9, carried by supports 10. The upper opening 11 of this chamber is adapted to form an airtight joint with the bottom opening of chamber-2 when the chamber 8 is turned into its vertical position, as shown at Fig. 1. the apparatus is thus arranged, suiiicient melted glass is run into the vessel 1 when placed on the tilting support to produce a sheet of the desired size. The chamber 2 is then closed by its cover 4, and the air is exhausted from chamber 8 by means of an air-pumpP or other suitable device which is connected to the branch pipe 7. When the glass in the vessel 1 is of the correct temperature to have the proper viscosity to enable it to be formed into a sheet, the'vessel is tilted so that the glass` ows into the hopper 5, whence it passes in a continuous uniform layer between the rollers 6, which, in order to turn with as little resistance as possible, have their journals mount- When ed in ball-bearings.' lf necessary, the glass may be forced through the rollers by admitting steam, water, air, or gas under pressure by the pipe p and valve p into chamber 2 above the hopperl 5 after the glass has been run into the latter. During the passage of the glass between the rollers and its descent below these .itlo'ses suiicient heat by radiation to become so solid as to maintain yits shape in the vacuum of the lower chamber. When this has taken place, the crank-handle 12 is turned, which by meansof intermediate gear 13 causes the rotation of two eccentric rollers 14, so as in approaching each other to nip the sheet of glass along its entire width. These rollers are hollow, and water is circulated through them sol as to cool them. The glass sheet beingthus suspended from the rollers free of contact with the walls of the chamber 8 is thenallowed, to cool suiiicient'ly to become hardened, after which air is admitted to the chamber 8 and the bottom door 15 of this is opened. In order to regulate at will the descent of the glass sheet when the rollers 14 have been turned so as to liberate it, the sheet is slightly nipped between two pairs of eccentric disks 16, situated on each side thereof and actuated by a crankhandle17 and toothed gear 18. The joint between the chambers 2 and 8 is then loosened,

and 8 is then turned upon its pivots 9 into a horizontal position, so that the sheet of glass can be drawn out from the lower end thereof,

IOO

after which the apparatus is brought back to its original condition for repeating the abovedescribed process.

We claim as our invention- 1. The herein-described process of manufacturing sheet-glass, consisting in forming the melted glass into a sheet in a chamber exhausted of air, and keeping the sheet free of contact with the walls of the chamber.

2. The herein-described process of manufacturing sheet-glass,consisting in placing the melted glass into a chamber, exhausting the air from said chamber, and then forming the melted glass intoasuspended sheetin the vacuum formed, the sheet being free of contact with the walls of the chamber. u

3. The herein-described process of manufacturing sheet-glass, consisting in first inclosing the melted glass in aclosed receptacle with the surface of the glass exposed to the interior of the receptacle, but out of contact with the walls thereof, exhausting the air from the receptacle, and forming the glass into a sheet in the vacuum thus formed.

4. Apparatus for the manufacture of sheetglass, comprisingan air-tight cham ber in two parts, the upper part adapted to accommodate a movable hopper and a passage therefrom into the lower part, and means for upsetting the hopper to pour its contents into such pasi sage, in combination with means by which said chamber masT rst be exhausted of air.

5. Apparatus for the manufacture of sheetglass, comprising an air-tight chamber in two parts, the upper part adapted to accommodate i a hopper and a passage therefrom into the r lower part, and means for upsetting the contents of the hopper into such passage, in comi bination with means by which said chamber l may first be exhausted of air, and means for admitting fluid under pressure to the upper y part of said chamber after the upsetting of the hopper. l

6. Apparatus for the manufacture of sheetglass, comprising an air-tight chamber in two parts, the upper part adapted to accommodate a hopper and a passage therefrom into the lower part, and means for upsetting the contents of the hopper into such passage, said lower chamber being pivoted and adapted to be released from said upper chamber so as to be swung free from the same, in combination with means by which said chamber may Iirst be exhausted of air.

7. Apparatus for the manufacture of sheetglass, comprising an air-tight chamber in two parts. the upper one adapted to contain melted glass, a passage therefrom into the other part, and means for rolling the glass into a sheet and passing it from the part in which it was held to the other parts in combination Awith means by which said chamber may iirst be exhausted of air.

8. Apparatus for the manufacture of sheetglass, comprising an air-tight chamber in two parts, the upper part adapted to receive the molten glass, a pair of rollers between the two parts to roll the molten glass into the lower part and means for exhausting air from the chamber.

9. Apparatus for the manufacture of sheetglass, comprising an air-tight chamber in two parts, the upper part adapted to receive the molten glass, a pair of rollers between the two parts to roll the glass into a sheen means for gripping and holding the sheet in the lower part and means for exhausting the air from the chamber.

1n testimon57 whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE RO W A RT. LOUIS FRANOQ..

Witnesses:

GUsTAvn Planar, GREGORY PHELAN. 

